SWTOR: One-shots
by SwizzleCake
Summary: Collection of one-shots from various classes/characters at different points throughout SWTOR and all expansions. Some have minor timeline alterations, some are entirely AU. Also posted on WattPad. Warnings/content ratings at the start of chapters where appropriate. Mostly fluff/angst. Possibly some smut. Some violence/occasional mentions of domestic abuse towards one character.
1. femSWxQuinn - Making things right

**Warning: Some violence, almost smut. Kind of moves into the realm of fluff quite rapidly.**

"Remind me," Jaesa asked Vette again, "Exactly why are we doing this?"

She grinned impishly back at her best friend, "We've decided that Tali has become too Sithy recently, and we're trying to make her calm down a little."

"I know that!" Jaesa rolled her eyes, beginning to really worry about the prank the two of them were about to pull on their other close friend, boss, and Sith Lord, the Emporer's Wrath, "But she's more than likely to explode with rage in... about thirty seconds from now." Jaesa twisted her hands together in anxiety.

"Relax!" Vette chortled at her, seemingly amused by her friend's nerves, "This is about to turn Tali back into the happy little Sith that definitely isn't a psychotic murderer again." The Twi'lek considered it for a minute, before adding, "Hopefully."

Jaesa sighed sharply, "If you've got this wrong, we're both dead."

"Lets just hope I'm right then."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Tali glared at the display screen on her com unit. Vette and Jaese were late. And Tali did not like lateness. In fact, it charted at number forty-three on her list of **'Things That Piss Me Off A Lot. No, Really A Lot'**.

"Where are those two?" She demanded angrily of the empty room, kicking out at a table in anger. She gave a yelp as her foot made contact with the table, although whether it was a yelp of annoyance or pain, even she wasn't sure.

"If I knew, I'd tell you, my lord." Came a voice from the shadows. The Sith Lord yelped again, and spun round, eyes blazing with fury as they rested on Malavai Quinn.

"What are you doing here?" She snarled, hands on her hips, angry, defiant and somewhat upset.

"Same as you, I expect." He chuckled nervously. Big mistake.

"Oh yeah? What'd you know about me? You're pathetic!" Her volume had escalated to the 'hysterical' setting by now. This particular setting of Tali's involved the pitch of her voice rising considerably, along with the volume of her voice and her own rage.

"I guess Jaesa and Vette invited you here 'for dinner', and failed to show, the same as they did to me?" Malavai said calmly, although he did wince slightly at Tali's enraged screaming. Remain calm, he repeated over and over in his mind.

"I'll kill them!" The Sith screamed, following up with a stream of expletives in languages ranging from Huttese to Twi'leki to Mando'a to basic. Malavai opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by Tali screaming again, "Don't you dare! Don't you dare speak to me, ever, ever again! I don't want to hear anything you have to say, you're a liar and a traitor and... and..." She took a step towards him, "And I'm going to kill you, one day." Not satisfied by the look of pure terror on Malavai's face, the Sith began to hurl random objects from around the room at him, starting with a selection of tasteful Sith ornaments. He ducked, and the first ornament smashed into the opposite wall, smashing into a thousand tiny pieces. One of the ornaments connected with Malavai's head with a resounding twack. He stumbled backwards slightly, internally pleased with his self-control in that he'd managed to stifle his instinctive shout of pain at the connection of the ornament with his face. _I guess that's what a life in the Imperial military, under the control of Sith Lords does to you_ , he mused, fully aware it wasn't the best moment to do so, _you learn not show pain or fear where you can_. He was aware that there was a table nearby, slightly to the left and behind him. As the next object flew his way, he let the force with which it hit him sending him stumbling towards the table, so that his dash for cover could seem more natural and less like trying to get away.

Tali laughed, sounding increasingly deranged, "Don't like be on the recieving end of pain, do you? Do you?" She stormed forwards, leaping over the table he'd stumbled behind to get away from her, marching right up to him. Malavai tried to step away from Tali, but he only walked into a wall.

"Tali..." His attempt to reason with her trailed off when she couldn't think of anything to say. She raised her hand, to hit Malavai. Before she could, he reached out, catching hold of her wrist. _Damn! She's even more beautiful than she used to be_ , Malavai thought as the Sith glared at him. _Maybe its because she's angry_ , he mused, _her anger always was stunning_. Tali didn't look much like a Sith Lord that evening though, she'd clearly been told - as had he - to dress up for the dinner. Her usually poker-straight red hair was curled into ringlets that framed her delicate, pale face. She was wearing a tiny amount of make-up, which Malavai thought she definitely didn't need, and she was wearing a black dress that clung to her slim body. It was only while his eyes travelled over her body that he realised how close together they were standing, and that the anger that had made her eyes burn orange like flames, was fading, to be replaced by something much softer. He let go of her wrist, his heart racing, fairly certain he was blushing too, although he was unsure whether that was from the fight or from how close to the woman he still loved he was standing at that moment in time.

Tali reached out, her anger seemed to have entirely dissipated now, touching his face where the ornament had hit him, "Your face... Malavai... I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

Malavai felt his face flush, as her fingers brushed against his skin, "I... yes, I'm fine my lo - Tali." _Shit_ , he thought, _internally kicking himself, was I going to say 'my lord' or 'my love' just then?_

Tali took a nervous, shaky breath. _Stop shaking_ , her mind told her sternly. Her hand slid from his bruised cheek to the back his neck. _Oh god_ , Malavai closed his eyes, knowing that if he looked into Tali's big brown eyes at that moment, she would know exactly what he was thinking and how he felt about her. It was his own feelings that scared him, more than he was afraid of Sith Lord in his arms.

"I... I'm sorry I... you know, attacked you. I know what you did wasn't you. I know it was Baras, manipulating you. I... I sensed your pain. You hated yourself. But... I understand now. I'm here now, if... if you still feel the same." She'd sensed his feelings properly - really sensed his feeling, understood his pain - when he'd been gazing at her with his big blue eyes all wide and full of emotion. She stumbled over her words, her uncertainty and inexperience at dealing with emotional situations showing. And now, as she spoke, she watched his handsome face. He looked so tired, but as she spoke, his face lit up. Tali could feel Malavai trembling, wanting to run... he was scared. Not just scared - terrified. _But terrified of what?_ Tali couldn't help wondering.

"Malavai..." She murmured softly, "Malavai, don't pull away. Talk to me, please."

Malavai reached out, sliding his arms around her, drawing her close. The feeling of her body so close to his - again - was amazing. He wanted desperately to kiss her, and be with her again, but he restrained himself. His heart was still bruised and battered from everything that had happened and he didn't know if he could ever regain he trust, let alone rekindle the relationship they'd had. But at that moment in time, he didn't want to talk, he only wanted to turn back time and never have attempted to betray the love of his life. His voice was barely louder than a whisper as he admitted something that had confused him since the betrayal.

"The way you reacted is what I never understood. Any ither Sith would have killed me."

"I'm not any normal Sith." She was pressed against his body, his arms tight around her slender waist, her arms around his neck. _Too right you're not_ , his thoughts betrayed what he wanted more than anything else. Then another thought occured to him, one of such great importance that he had to make Tali aware of it.

"Tali," Malavai murmured her name, "What are we doing? Things won't ever be the same as they used to be... Pierce and Broonmark will kill us both. Then Vette and Jaesa for setting us up."

"Shut up." Tali told him, "Just... shut up."

"Gladly." Malavai whispered breathlessly, leaning down so that he could kiss the beautiful Sith Lord in his arms. Tali closed her eyes, craning her head upwards, all she wanted was to kiss Malavai again after so long.

After so many months... he was finally hers again. He held her closer again, lifting one hand from her waist and burying it in her soft, ruby-coloured corkscrew curls. _Heaven at last_ , was the only thought in Malavai's head as he spun Tali round, pinning her against the wall. As he did so, Tali managed to wrap her legs around his waist, effectively closing the gap between their bodies even more. As their frantic kissing resumed, Malavai found the fastening at the back of Tali's dress, twisting it between his fingers. Tali pulled back from the kiss yet again, her desire-filled eyes fixing on his as she answered the question he didn't even have to ask.

"Yes. Please Malavai." She hissed, groaning softly when he did as he told, releasing the clasp of her dress and letting the soft fabric fall away from her body.

All of a sudden, there was a massive crashing sounding from elsewhere in the _Fury_. "Damn!" Malavai growled, as Tali dropped herself back down to her feet, pulling her dress back up and refastening the clasp, then he grinned at Tali, "You look incredible, by the way."

Tali rolled her eyes, "I'm going to strangle whoever just ruined our night." She told him, "I think they're in the galley. Come to my room when I tell you there's no one being an annoyance any more."

"Of course, my beautiful Tali." Malavai murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead and stepping away from her to let her out of the room.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Vette and Jaesa, whose attempted spying had resulted in the crashing noise, were making a bad attempt to hide, exactly where Tali had predicted they would be. They were both hoping against hope that Tali wouldn't come looking for them, but that hope was dashed when the Sith Lord appearend in the galley doorway, hair dishevelled, face flushed but dressed in the poshest dress either of them had ever seen Tali even look at. Even if it was still black. Her face showed that was trying very hard to look like the angry Sith Lord she really was not at that moment, but the entire effort was rather let down by the happiness she couldn't quite control.

"I'm not impressed with the antics of you two." She announced, glaring at the cupboard Vette was hiding in, then at the cupboard Jaesa was hiding behind.

"Well something had to be done." Vette's cupboard huffed, "You were turning into a right psycho. And he was pissing everyone off, moping around the ship like someone'd tipped a bucket of water over his head."

Jaesa's cupboard piped up with a cheery, "Well you'd know!"

"It was your idea Jae!" Vette lied in return.

Jaesa started to protest but was cut off by Tali letting out a sharp sigh before uttering her next statement, "I'm not going to listen to your excuses. However, I'm not going to force-choke you either."

"Why ever not?" Jaesa chirped cheekily.

"Because you've helped both Quinn and I with you meddling tricks, and I know that you meant well anyway. Despite the fact I beat him up and told him I'd kill him." Tali informed her two friends, before she left the room. Jaesa and Vette burst out cackling as soon as they thought Tali would be out of earshot. They climbed from their cupboards, smirking proudly. Vette high-fived Jaesa, and bounced around the galley. "Told you it was a brilliant idea!"

"Okay, okay, next time you have an idea, I'll tell you its the most amazing idea ever, before anything's even happened." Jaesa chuckled, then she poked her friend in the ribs, "And next time its about to go wrong, don't try to blame me."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

As Malavai entered Tali's room, the stunning choice of decorations and the personal items of Tali's that usually intrigued him as he still knew very little about the Sith's background, even with his contacts he could dig up little about her past, was one of the furthest things from his mind. This attention was solely focused on the beautiful woman lying on the bed, wearing only black lace underwear. She looked up as he entered the room, rolling herself onto her front and leaning on her elbows, one hand supporting her chin and the other arm resting on the black Alderaanian silk sheets, fingers trailing back and forth over the fabric.

"Hey, sexy." She drawled, meeting his eyes across the room. _Damn_ , he thought, _she is just incredible_. She twisted herself round, throwing her toned body into a tight flip as she landed on the floor next to the bed, her deep red hair bouncing from the impact.

"Tali..." He whispered, suddenly knocked breathless, crossing the room and wrapping his arms tightly around her, "I'm missed you so much, my love."

In the time it had taken him to murmur those words, Tali had undone all of the buttons on his shirt. As he finished speaking, he pressed one finger to his lips,

"I've missed you too, more than you could ever believe." She whispered, "But there's plenty of time for that conversation in the morning. For tonight, Malavai Quinn," She paused slightly, lowering her voice, making it more husky and seductive, "You are mine."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The next morning, Tali awoke to the sounds of an argument coming from the corridor outside her quarters.

"Who are you, and what you doing on my master's ship? Get off or she'll explode in anger!" It was Jaesa's voice.

"The Sith Lord invited me here," Came the reply, its speaker sounding bored, "Name's Darth Nox, sure you've heard of me."

Jaesa sighed, "Master's not up yet, but come through here and wait..."

Which was followed by the sounds of several sets of footsteps walking away. Tali glanced across at Malavai, smiling as she took in the way his raven hair fell across his pale cheek as he slept. She reached out, hating to wake him up, but knowing she had to, and stroking his bruised cheek. She winced guiltily at the sight of what she'd done to him.

"Hey, you." He murmured sleepily.

"Good morning, my sweetheart." Tali said softly, "We've got to get up, we've got guests."

"You don't sound enthralled by the idea, my lo- Tali." He smiled up at her.

"My dear friend has invited herself round. She goes by two names: Kitty Zalia-Revel-Kallig, and Darth Nox."

"Didn't know you were friends with Darth Nox." Malavai muttered, sitting up slowly.

"It seems that I am. And right now, she's a Sith who bumped into Jaesa in our corridor and ought to be thanking the force she didn't walk into Broonmark. Although an interaction between them would be amusing... if it didn't mean we were cleaning blood out of the air vents for the next three months."

Malavai chuckled, then leant forwards a little, closer to Tali. She smiled up at him, closing her eyes as their lips met.

"Mmm," She murmured as they pulled apart, reaching up to caress his face, "I love you Malavai Quinn."

He smiled, gazing at the delicate Sith in his arms, _I really am the luckiest man in the galaxy_ , he thought blissfully, before he replied, "I love you too Tali."

A clatter in the corridor made them both jump.

"Guess our morning together is over then." She sighed quietly, moving to get up from the bed. Malavai caught her arm, pulling her back to his side,

"One last thing," He said, his tone low and serious, "Tali... there was something I wanted to ask you before... I lost my nerve," He bit his lip slightly. Tali felt her heart flutter with nerves, and excitement. "Tali, will you marry me?" Malavai asked softly, which was when Tali realised he was also holding a ring - a simple, silver band, with something engraved on it.

She gasped, "Malavai, of course I'll marry you! There's nothing I'd like more, my love."

His face lit up, as he slipped the ring onto her finger. She held it up to admire it, noticing for the first time what the engravings on the ring read - it was two entwined letters: _T_ and _M_. Their initials. Tali's face flushed, and broke into a huge smile. Then she glanced at the door.

"Come on," She grinned, "Looks like we're needed to sort out another of the galaxys' many problems."

He took both of her hands in his as he returned her smile and said, "Together."


	2. femSmugglerxTheron - About Jedi Masters

**Warning: Includes mentions of domestic violence (Liya has had a bad life), almost becomes smut... there's definitely some strong themes running through this one. A bit fluffy and angsty!**

"It's been too long since we really talked Theron." Liya spoke out, in an effort to disrupt the argument she was sure was about to start around her, "Can you stay a while?" She asked, her voice soft, seeking to meet his eyes.

"Of course." He responded, raising his eyes to meet hers. Liya internally congratulated herself on the smile that appeared somewhere behind his green eyes. Then she had to resist the urge to roll her own eyes as Ceetwo piped up with some pleasantry, seemingly oblivious to what was actually happening in the room, as the others all turned, backed off and generally left the room. Theron moved across the room slightly, standing more directly in front of the blue-skinned Twi'lek woman. Liya watched the others out of the room, then turned back to Theron, closing the gap between them and reaching out to stroke his bruised face, her other arm sliding almost instinctively around his shoulders as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Where are you going to go when all of this is over?" Theron couldn't help asking as he stared into the Twi'lek woman's dark purple eyes. She shrugged, dropping her hand from his cheek, disentangling herself from his embrace and sitting down on a nearby sofa. He sat down next to her, taking hold of one of her hands, tracing one finger gently over the scar travelling from the palm of her right hand, up her wrist until it reached the edge of her sleve and he could follow it no more.

"I guess where ever my next job takes me." She replied, eyes meeting his for a moment before returning to stare at an undefinable spot somewhere across the room. "Its not like I've got anywhere else to go." Theron nodded. Before they'd even met, he'd researched her and although he had discovered little about her background, what he had found out was certainly interesting. _No_ _wonder she's built up such tough defences_ , he thought, resisting the urge to kiss her then. Suddenly, she took a deep breath in, as if gathering herself together, and turned her head to look at him, seeming focused again. "Theron, how much do you know about my past?" She questioned him, her voice showing genuine curiousity.

He gave a slight smile. _Typical. She knows I tried to find out more about her_ , he thought. Considering his choice of words carefully, he decided not to directly answer her question. "Who do you have working for you? It's virtually impossible to find out anything about you."

The Twi'lek gave a wry smile, and he noticed the usual sparkle return to her eyes, then internally congratulated himself on cheering her up. "That would be telling. And I'd have thought that you'd find a way to get that information, no matter how well-hidden it is."

"I found some of it." Theron admitted, "Your mother was Senator of Naboo."

"Was." Liya replied, her voice edged with pain, "My step father put paid to her career when he took her life."

Theron pulled her into a hug then, unsure how else he could reassure Liya that he was there for her. In an unusual show of emotion, Liya didn't pull away as he'd expected but pressed herself close to him. "I know. I'm sorry." He murmured.

Liya sighed, "I'm sorry too. I've never talked to anyone about this stuff before."

"You don't have to tell me Liya. If you don't want to tell me, that's your choice." Theron replied, watching the Twi'lek in his arms as she took a deep breath. She looked vulnerable, a side of her he'd never seen before. He wanted to look after her, to hold her while she talked, more than anything. It made him feel special that she had even considered telling him about her past.

"I want to tell you." She shrugged, her eyes met his for a moment, "I trust you. I know you won't judge me." Liya would never admit it, but she was scared of opening up to anyone, of showing anyone any sign of weakness. She bit her lip. _Theron is different_. She reminded herself, _he actually cares about you, unlike the majority of people in your life_. "My father died, the accidental victim of an assination attempt ment for my mother. As you know, she was one of the most influential politicians in the Republic. I was three at the time. When I was four, I lost my older sister too."

"How?" Theron couldn't help asking. In the process of his research, he'd found mentions of numerous sisters, but no names.

"My older sister is Alina Talon." She said by way of explanation. Theron nodded. He knew the name. He'd met Jedi Master Alina Talon a few times but knew her mostly through the stories, just like everyone else. She was one of the most powerful Jedi to have ever existed, as far as he knew. "I wonder if she remembers me sometimes." Liya spoke again, her voice shaking slightly. Theron kissed her cheek softly, not knowing how else to reassure her that he was there for her.

"I'm sure she does." He told her, "The last time I spoke to her, she gave me some advice that I didn't understand then. But I do now. She said, 'look after her for me'."

Liya smiled, "Sounds like her. She always used to enjoy being mysterious. After a while, about a year as I remember, my mother remarried. What she didn't know was that my step father was really working for Imperial Intelligence and had been tasked to spy on her somehow. Maybe he did love her. I'll never know that. Then there was Holly, Anna, May, Hollietta, Aayla and Tali. My half-sisters."

Theron frowned slightly. Several of those names, he knew. And not from Liya's files. "Jedi Master Anna Talon?"

Liya gave a small, sharp laugh, "The one and only."

"A family of force sensitives." He replied, a small smile forming on his lips, "And yet you're not. Something else we have in common."

"Yeah. You're right." She smiled up at him, "And you don't know half of it. Unless this whole conversation has been a lie and you already know all about me." She paused to adjust the way she was sitting slightly, "That's a joke." She added with a smile. Theron laughed softly. _How did she manage to go from quiet and nervous to joking in such a short space of time?_ "Things were good after Anna was taken by the Jedi. I was the only one with more the just vague memories of her. I was fourteen when my mother was murdered." Liya's voice took on a cold, hard edge. Theron knew instinctively that this was the part that hurt her the most. He tightened his arms around her waist, hoping that his guesture came across in as supportive a way as he intended it. "My father was close to being discovered and he had to act fast. My best guess is he panicked. He'd been fairly settled for nearly a decade, he was out of practice. He killed my mother, then tried to gather up all of us children."

"I'm sorry." Theron whispered, brushing his lips against her cheek, holding her as close as he could.

"Don't be." She said then, her voice betraying no emotion once again, stroking his cheek as their eyes met. The expression of trust in her eyes hit him hard. "I've not finished yet." She started to fiddle with the collar of her slightly dirty white shirt as she continued. "I refused to go with him, and as he left, I managed to pull one of my half-sisters, Hollietta, away with me. I regret taking her, seperating her from her twin, but she was the closest one to me. She was seven then." She paused to take another deep breath, and Theron could see that was trying to keep herself together, "He took them to Imperial space - Dromund Kaas, I think. I took Hollietta to where I thought we'd never be found. Nar Shaddaa. It was a struggle to survive there." Liya admitted, eyes flashing with some kind of dark fury, "We slept on the streets, stole and bargained for survival. I took a blaster from someone when we arrived, that made things somewhat simpler. Then I could defend us against the scum who thought robbing a pair of kids would be easy. All the money I got, I invested in Hol unless I desperately needed something. Likewise she got the greater share of food. I wanted better for her, whether I could have better for myself or not."

"I didn't know." Theron said quietly, "I didn't know you'd been through so much at such a young age."

"I had to do something." Liya replied, in a reasoned tone of voice she'd spent years perfecting, "I lied about my age, took a job serving drinks in a cantina in a dodgy area. A young Twi'lek woman on Nar Shaddaa? I had no chance. Sometimes we were robbed, then I'd have to dance for money or sell my body so that I could afford food or to pay rent on the room we eventually rented. I taught Hol to defend herself, gave her the best education I could. Then somehow I caught the eye of Carrak Endol."

"The Crime Lord." Theron stated, allowing Liya to know that her story was still very much the centre of his attention.

"Then just a kid, running spice and stolen goods for the crime families." Liya acknowledged, a twisted smile forming on her lips, "The first man I had a relationship with. Even if it was somewhat on and off. I knew there were other women as he rose to power. If he'd asked, I'd have told him how some of them died too. He probably knew though." She shrugged, "All the same, the relationship gave me confidence. And the fact he trusted me to take goods sometimes gave me more money, improved my skills. I learnt to tolerate the beatings. At the time, they seemed normal. The other girls I worked with were often beaten too."

"You deserve so much more than that kind of life." He told her quietly, realising he was quite unable to express how he felt about the way Liya had been treated, simply because of how sickening her treatment had been. But he could see how she'd become the hardened survivor he knew now.

"That's what Hol started to tell me as she grew up and became more aware of what our lives were like. She was so idealistic. I think she still is. Her sense of equality and justice made her shine. My little half-sister was what kept me going. The few friends I had agreed with her. I'd become worn down then, I was twenty-two and I knew I was starting to get too old for cantina work, so when a friend offered me a chance to make some money and get off-world, I took it."

"What was this opportunity?" Theron asked, hoping his voice sounded encouraging rather than inquisitive. He wanted to know, but he'd rather she told him because she wanted to rather than because he was asking intrusive questions.

Liya shrugged, a devious glint appearing in her eyes, "Stealing Sith artifacts, then accompanying the ship they were to Coruscant. I did it, and when I left, I took Hol with me. We stayed there, built a life there. Admittedly, I was still just working in cantinas in the underworld, but even there was better than Nar Shaddaa. When Hol was old enough, she joined the Republic Army, like she'd always wanted to. I started to smuggle for a living because I had the freedom to do what I wanted with my life for once."

Theron smiled as Liya rested her head on his chest, "You worked through situations that others wouldn't have. I'm proud of you." He told her, his voice soft.

Liya smiled again, "My biggest regret is that Hol, or mirrors as I sometimes call her, and I aren't as close as we used to be anymore. She never did get the joke."

Theron chuckled, "Mirrors... because Aayla means smoke in Twi'leki, right?"

"Oh finally, someone gets my joke!" Liya laughed, "Hol and Aayla are twins, which is why it was actually funny in the first place."

"Did you ever find out what happened to your other half-sisters, the ones taken by your step father?" Theron asked.

The Twi'lek nodded, "Yeah. Holly won the Great Hunt and married a Mandalorian. Tali and May are both Sith Lords. The Emporers Wrath and Darth Nox, of all the individuals to be related to. Aayla... well, I'm guessing she's the reason my information is so difficult to find. She's Cipher Nine."

Theron shook his head in mock-disbelief, "It would be your family that were a group of the most feared beings in the galaxy."

Liya started to laugh again, "You'll have to meet them next time we have a family party."

"Is that an invitation?" He asked flirtatiously, sliding one hand under her chin and tilting her head upwards slightly so he could look into her eyes.

"If you take it as one." She responded, "But be warned... aside from me not being in a relationship for seven years, my sisters have never met any partner of mine."

Theron frowned slightly, "You've not been in a relationship since you walked out of Carrak's life?"

"Yeah. That exactly. Sure, I hooked up with random guys whenever I wanted to, some of them more than once, but I've had nothing resembling a relationship since Nar Shaddaa. Then I met you."

Theron felt himself start to blush slightly, and he could think of no words to use in reply, so he pulled Liya closer and kissed her, losing himself in her perfection, forgetting entirely that they were in the Rishi command centre.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Liya rested one hand on Theron's belt buckle as they kissed yet again. She could tell she was driving him crazy and somehow knowing that she had the ability to do that to him gave her the confidence to let her body respond naturally to his touches and kisses. She broke the kiss, desperately trying to regain her breath. He wasted no time, rolling over so that Liya let out a small squeal as she was suddenly no longer straddling Theron, but pinned between his body and the slightly uncomfortable sofa. Instinctively as she rolled, she wrapped her legs around his waist. He let out a chuckle of amusement at her surprise. He leant down so that their lips were barely a millimetre apart, "You may be the most experienced, but I'm pretty sure I can still teach you a thing or two." He told, his voice low, his eyes focused on hers.

"We'll see about that, handsome." She responded breathlessly, without missing a beat. Then she let out an unplanned moan as he kissed her neck, shuddering with pleasure at the feeling of tongue and teeth on her damp skin. She clung to him with one hand, trying with her other hand to remove his shirt.

Inconveniently at that moment, the holoterminal in the room bleeped loudly. Liya let out a hiss of annoyance as Theron rolled off her, grabbing at his jacket, which they'd disgarded onto the floor some time ago, straightening his shirt and attempting to look smart. Liya too made a lunge for her jacket, doing up the buttons on her shirt as she pulled her jacket onto her body. The holoterminal fizzled into life almost before they were both ready. _I hope we got away with that_ , Liya thought as a holo image of two Jedi Masters appeared before them. One of the Jedi was Theron's mother, Grandmaster Satele Shan, as regal as ever, despite it being the early hours of the morning. The second Jedi was also a female, but much younger than the Grandmaster. A Zabrak, obviously darkskinned despite the blue colour of the holo, dressed in a long flowing white robe.

"Greetings Grandmaster, and my dear Alina." Liya greeted the two Jedi.

"Mother, Master Talon. This is a bit of a surprise." Theron said at the same time. Liya picked up on the tension in his voice, and squeezed his hand affectionately.

"Clearly." Grandmaster Satele sounded unimpressed, clearly having figured out what was going on.

"I get the feeling we may have interupted a private moment." Alina joked, resting one hand on her hip, amused. Liya shot her older sister a dark look.

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" Liya asked, instantly regretting her choice of words. Alina picked up on her sister's discomfort and smirked.

"I'm surprised that you have company this evening Theron." Satele started, "You were expecting this call."

 _Evening?_ Liya wondered, _So what is her idea of 'late'?_

"I apologise mother." Theron replied calmly, "We've had a long day. We've won for now, but we're heading to Yavin 4 tomorrow."

The blue image of Satele shimmered slightly as she nodded, "We'll contact you again tomorrow evening."

"Hopefully next time you won't be in such a hurry to get dressed." Alina grinned deviously at the holo projector, winking at Liya and Theron without Satele noticing.

The transmission ended almost as quickly as it had started. Theron and Liya glanced at each other.

"Well that was typical." Liya remarked.

Theron pulled her close, "Don't worry about my mother. She was nicer to you than she ever has been to me."

"I wasn't worried about that." She replied, wrapping her arms around his neck and shoulders, "I'm in love with you Theron Shan."

"I love you too. I always will do." He replied, barely a second before their lips met again.

And this time, there were no interruptions.


	3. femBHxTorian - Training

**Warning: Some violence (they are Mandalorian, give them a break) and fluff really. Added Mando'a translations just incase!**

 **Cyar'ika -** darling/sweetheart

 **Mesh'la -** beautiful

 **Riduur -** beloved

 **Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum -** I love you.

Holly Cadera crouched silently behind a tree stump, alert to her surroundings, poised to defend herself could attack come. Somewhere away to her right, a rustling sound could be heard. A delicate smile twisted at her lips as she took a stealthy step forwards. Through the thick, twisting branches and leaves of the undergrowth, she could see another figure clad in Beskar'gam approaching from above. She crouched lower, turning her back to the approaching figure. She counted in her head.

 _One._

 _Two._

 _Three._

 _Four._

 _Five._

The rustling sound increased in volume and she whipped herself around, catching the Mandalorian child that had dropped down from the branch in an attempt to catch her off-guard. She dropped the child to the floor, pinning him down with one knee, restraining his arms with one arm, leaving her other arm free to defend herself should the need arise. She ignored her mother's instinct to protect the child, overruling it with the Mandalorian view that the child needed to learn how to fight.

"Nice try, Tairin." She grinned as the child acknowledged his defeat.

Then she sprang to her feet, pulling herself up into the branches, climbing and swinging her way back towards the glade they had been racing to. It wasn't an elegant way to travel, but it was fast. If her theory was correct, then there was only one opponent left and that would be her husband, Torian Cadera. As she approached the glade, she focused her mind with a practiced ease. She was the Champion of The Great Hunt, fighting was her life. It had certainly kept her alive long enough to be where she was now, raising a family with the freedom to raise them as Mandalorians should they wish to. Admittedly, their training race battles were made somewhat easier to carry out since she had inherited her mother's estate on Naboo. She slowed herself down as she reached the edge of the glade, paying extra attention to her surroundings. _Torian won't catch me out this time_ , she thought determindly, remembering how during their last training session, Torian had beaten her quite convincingly. She didn't know what pulled her eyes to the eastern edge of the clearing, but when her eyes instinctively checked that way first, she spotted Torian watching her from across the treetops. Their stares locked across the forty-foot clearing. Holly felt a familiar spark of adrenaline fire off somewhere in her bloodstream.

"Challenge accepted." She growled through the transmitter in her helmet. The second she finished speaking, she dropped down slightly from the top of the tree to a branch that held exactly the right combination of the strength to take her weight and flexibility to do what she was planning. Keeping her legs tucked in to avoid catching them on other branches, she swung herself around on the branch, giving herself the momentum to leap through the air, flying into a perfectly formed frontflip to cover some additional distance, then activating her jetpack as she flew out of the roll. She was just over halfway across the clearing when, as she had predicted, she collided with her husband charging the other way. As she'd been anticipating this, she'd twisted herself around so that her boots connected squarely with his chest, knocking him to the floor. Torian reacted instantly, grabbing her by the ankles and pulling her down with him. Holly quickly deactivated her jectpack as they fell, the sound of the beskar plates of their armour clattering together filling the air. Neither warrior wasted a second as they each fought for the upper hand, punching and kicking at each other while trying to evade the other's attacks. They knew how the other fought incredibly well, which made them very evenly matched. Torian was bigger and physically stronger, but Holly was faster and unpredictably acrobatic.

Finally, he got her pinned to the ground, her arms and legs pinned so that escaping would be difficult.

"Do you surrender, cyar'ika?" He asked of her.

"Never!" She replied fiercely, "For honour!" And with that, she somehow managed to force her legs free, throwing herself into a flip, sending Torian flying as he lost his grip on her arms, taked entirely by surprise. Having gained the advantage, Holly didn't waste a second, launching herself through the air to where Torian had landed. This was where she always struggled - in stopping the stronger Mandalorian from escaping. Even in the seconds it took her to reach him, he was back on his feet and managed to knock her out of the air with a well-timed punch as she flew at him. She twisted back, attempting to dodge the punch just a little too late, but managed to kick out as she fell back, knocking him off balance again. He growled, catching hold of her firmly. Holly briefly considered struggling against his grip, but allowed herself to relax into it as he tightened his hold on her. All of a sudden,she forced her body forwards with a considerable amount of force, head-butting Torian's chest. Caught of guard, he let go of her arms and stumbled back. Without pausing to plan, Holly instinctively pressed the attack, trusting in her adrenaline to guide her movements. Her surprise tactic worked, as she forced Torian down, pinning him to the ground until he raised his hands in guesture of surrender. She gave a small laugh, allowing him to sit up as she removed her helmet and let her mid-length blonde hair fall to her shoulders.

"Close one." She smiled, raising one hand to brush against his slightly as he lowered his as he removed his helmet.

"Not so much." He shrugged, "You won this time mesh'la."

"That wasn't skill. I was lucky." She replied, trying to keep the bitterness from her voice. _You're getting older Cadera_ , a voice in her head that she'd been hearing a little too often recently hissed, _you can't fight like you used to anymore_. Torian narrowed his eyes at her, picking up that something was wrong with his wife of almost ten years, but unsure what it was.

At that moment, the four children came racing across the clearing, arms outstretched to hug their parents. Holly gave a joyous laugh, scooping up her seven year old daughter Melina who had reached her first. The boys piled into the hug, knocking Holly sideways so that she fell onto Torian's chest, all of them laughing and shouting with happiness.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Holly leant on the edge of the balcony of her bedroom, staring out over the grounds of her family home, watching the sun set in the distance as it bathed the gardens in fading golden light. It was a beautiful, peaceful sight and went some way to soothing her tired, frazzled nerves. A gentle breeze ruffled her hair and tugged at her loose shirt. She gave a slight shiver. It had been a hot day, and the wind brought a welcome chill to the air.

"You look happy riduur." Torian commented, after watching her for some minutes.

"I am." She replied, a small smile on her lips. Torian reached out, covering one of her hands that was resting on the wall with his.

"You're also tired." He commented, studying her face which was illuminated by the sinking sun.

"Something like that." She admitted, and he smiled as she attempted to stifle a yawn, "Everyone put up quite a fight today."

He nodded, a feeling of fartherly pride sparking within him at the mention of their children, "I saw you fight with Tairin. That making him think you hadn't seen him trick was almost cruel."

Holly shrugged, "He'll know better than to fall for that one again."

He nodded, "He always learns from his mistakes. He's a good kid. He'll be a great warrior someday."

"They all will." Holly replied, then she bit her lip, "Melina needs to learn not to be arrogant, that's a big part of the reason Tairin beat her so quickly, but she's quick, that's something she has on her side."

"Calev's quick too. Quicker than I expected." Torian admitted, "If he keeps that up, then he'll be able to beat all of his older siblings in a year or so."

Holly nodded, smiling at her husband. She rested her head on his shoulder, thinking about the time they had spent together, the lives they had built, the four young children they were raising. "You remember that conversation we had once, not long after we married? About raising children?" She asked, after a few moments of comfortable silence.

"Of course cyar'ika. How could I forget?" He smiled, kissing the side of her head briefly.

"I remember you saying that you wanted at least five children." She continued. Torian knew that Holly didn't often talk about the past or her memories, and knew that this line of conversation must have some kind of point behind it.

"I believe I said that." He replied, letting go of her hand to wrap his arms around her waist. She snuggled into his embrace, her head resting against his chest.

"I'm pregnant again Tor." She murmured finally.

"That's amazing news." Torian told her, his happiness showing in his voice.

"I know." She replied, turning slightly and linking her arms around his shoulders.

"Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum." He whispered, holding her close.

Holly smiled, then kissed him gently. As she pulled back, she stoked his cheek with one finger, the lightest of touches, "Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum too." She told him, staring deep into his eyes.


	4. femSWxQuinn - Seeing you again

**Warning: strong themes that almost become smut. Much angst.**

 **Tali and Malavai meet again, following the events of KOTET. Is it going to be happily ever after or not? Also, the results of the Vette/Torian choice as I chose it on SW run in the game, as is the portrayal of Tali as taking the darkside choice to rule as Empress. Note: for purposes of this story, Theron and Tora didn't get Tali's ship back for her.**

It was eight years. Eight years since he'd lost her. Eight years since the woman who had saved his life time after time and forgiven him for his stupid, fear-induced actions that would've led anyone else to kill him had been taken from him. He'd never moved on, and he missed her every day.

He knew she was alive. He knew that it was his beautiful Tali that saved the entire galaxy. He knew that Tali Quinn was the Empress of Zakuul. Malavai sighed heavily. He tried not to think about Tali, about the happiness he'd known and he tried not to wonder if she ever thought of him. Today was different though: today was the anniversary of the day she'd been taken away from him and frozen in carbonite.

He remembered their goodbye. He'd thought she wouldn't be long, just a quick visit to Darth Marr. He'd pulled her close and kissed her. She'd smiled up at him - not that he was that much taller than she was - and said that she would see him soon. He regretted how quickly he'd walked away, he'd never known if she had replied to his quiet "I love you" or not.

For the most part, the crew hadn't surprised him. Broonmark had gone off somewhere to hunt. The last time he'd heard from the Talz, over four years ago now, he'd been on Orto Plutonia. Malavai hadn't known much about the planet and had researched it out of curiousity. On discovering that it was an icy, snow-covered world, he'd hoped Broonmark would finally have found somewhere to call home. He had no idea where Pierce had gone to, and didn't care in the slightest if he was honest. Jaesa had left the crew on a stop at Tatooine, and occasionally sent them messages and gifts on birthdays if she remembered. Malavai knew that it had hurt Vette, considering the close relationship she had had with Jaesa. Out of the whole crew, Vette had surprised him the most. Like him, she'd been devasted when Tali hadn't returned. He knew Tali was the closest thing to family the young Twi'lek woman had known in years. He thanked Vette though, as she had tried to be at least slightly positive where she could, and she'd been there for him when he'd needed a friend. She'd joined a resistance group eventually, begged him to go with her, but he'd refused. He hadn't heard from her in a long time, but he knew where she was. He'd seen the news on the HoloNet. Vette was back by Tali's side, her loyal friend and assistant. _Did she ever tell Tali how much I cried for her?_ Malavai couldn't help but wonder. He'd cried a lot at first, but for a long time now, he'd found himself unable to cry. He had returned to his home on Dromund Kaas, where his mother had helped him as best she could. He knew his mother had barely approved of or tolerated Tali, but she had looked after him when he had thought there was nothing left for him in the entire galaxy. No matter what she thought of the mother, she certainly loved her grandchildren - that was the one thought he had ever been able to comfort himself with. Thinking of his children almost killed Malavai. He hated to look at Kerren and Lyr on his worse days, because he could see so much of Tali in them. Both boys had inherited the shape of their faces from their mother, Kerren had inherited her dark red hair and Lyr had her wide brown eyes. He knew Ashri, the girl they had adopted, wouldn't remember Tali, but he often wondered whether the boys remembered their mother or not.

"Malavai." A voice broke through his thoughts. He looked around briefly until he spotted the speaker, whom he hadn't heard enter the room. His eyes fell on his sister-in-law, Holly, a slender, blonde-haired woman clad in a tight-fitting black combat suit. A feeling similar to being punched in the gut hit him at the sight of her. They had always been close while he'd had Tali with him, and she'd been incredibly supportive of him. He had been the one she'd turned to when her husband, Torian Cadera, had been killed fighting alongside Tali. "How are you feeling?" She asked, sitting down on the edge of a chair across the room from him, regarding him with her painfilled blue eyes.

 _How am I feeling?_ He wondered, tired, "I'm not sure..." He managed eventually, "I barely know if I'm living or not these days."

Holly nodded sympathetically. Malavai could see so many of his own experiences and feelings in his sister-in-law. _Its mostly in the eyes,_ he thought to himself, _the shielded, guarded look that you could see the heart-tearing agony behind. I see those eyes in the mirror every day_. He watched her for a moment before he spoke again, "And you?"

She sighed, "I miss Tor so damn much." She admitted, shifting her gaze down from his face to the floor, "I miss him not only every waking second but in my dreams, I see him but I can't reach him. The kids... I owe it to them to finish their traditional Mandalorian training, just like Tor would've wanted. Haar'chak, I miss him."

Malavai winced. Holly and Torian had six children, their youngest was just nine years old now. "Do you think its better?" He asked slowly, "For your kids, who can remember their dad, or for mine who don't remember their mother?" He bit his lip, barely registering the pain.

"I wish I knew." She replied, a wistful note to her voice. "Anyway, Malavai, there's something I need to talk to you about."

He shot her a questioning look, unable to find the words to ask her to continue. He had a feeling that somehow, whatever it was, would be related to the beautiful Sith Lord that he missed every second of his life.

"I..." She didn't seem to be able to contine for a moment, but then took a deep breath, pulling herself together, "She sent me a message that said... well, see for yourself." With that, Holly held out a holocommunication device with a message displayed on the screen. His eyes scanned over the words, noting that the lexical choices reminded him of the woman he loved, and reading Tali's respectful rememberance of Torian.

"Why doesn't she mention me? Why hasn't she contacted me?" He thoughts that had haunted his mind ever since he had discovered Tali was free from her carbonite prison finally ripped out of his mind, "I would do anything to have her here with me! Did I mean so little to her?" He was shaking, terrified of discovering the truth but unable to hide his fears any more, "Did she ever really love me?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper as he struggled not to cry.

"Don't think like that." Holly murmured, placing a hand on his shoulder, "My half-sister thought the galaxy of you."

"Why doesn't she contact me, Holly? Surely Vette would tell her how I was without her." He yelled suddenly, fury rushing through him as he hit out blindly, his fist connecting with a wall, anger dulling the pain.

Holly stood up, moving to leave the room, "I wish I knew. I'm sorry." She said quietly before she left.

Malavai put his head in his hands, fighting back a scream of pain as he felt the tears he'd held back for a long time sting at the back of his eyes. He was tired of living like this. He didn't know how long he stayed there for, but when he looked up it was darker in the room, indicating to him that he'd been feeling sorry for himself for at least half an hour. He glanced at his personal holocom, noting the light flashing on the top signalling that he had new messages. He stared at the device, debating whether or not he felt like reading them. He picked up the device after a second or two and scanned through the messages. There was one new one. His heart almost stopped when he saw the name of the sender: Vette. Fearing what the message would say, he opened it, a thousand possibilities running through his mind.

 **I bet you're surprised to hear from me, huh? I hope you're okay, but I'm fairly sure you're not. I'll keep this brief - I'm in a hurry and I'd rather not upset you. The alliance desperately needs more strategic advice. I know you didn't want in before, but have you considered it since? Even if you won't join us officially, Captain Obstinate, if you'd meet with the other advisers and I at the following coordinates at the following time to offer us some advice at least, it would be greatly appreciated.**

 **I'm sorry. About everything.**

Malavai read the message four times. There was no mention of Tali. Vette had implied that Tali wouldn't be there. But if she was... would he see her again? The thought alone, the vague hope that he might be able to see Tali again was enough to encourage him to go.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Malavai sat in the corner of the cantina, doubt creeping into his mind with every passing second. What if she wasn't there? If she'd moved on? If... he blinked, shaking his head, intent on stopping himself from imagining the worst in every situation. As if on cue, the doors slid open. He took a deep breath, glancing around the room he had failed to notice emptying. Two Twi'lek women, both blue skinned, but one of them much smaller and skinnier than the second. Malavai recognised both. The taller, curvier one was one of his sisters-in-law, Liya. The smaller woman was Vette. Their eyes met briefly and Vette looked away quickly. After them, a six foot tall, slender woman dressed entirely in flowing black robes that looked as if they were made from something expensive and exotic, with short red hair, pale skin littered with scars and Sith markings tattooed across her face, with wide, dark eyes, entered the cantina. She waved a hand at the door as she passed through and it closed after her. Malavai felt the breath knocked from his body. It was Tali.

Suddenly, the silence within the room became unbearable but Malavai couldn't speak. Tali. His Tali. Standing there before him, looking the same as she had eight years ago, bar a scar on her face that was new. Vette cleared her throat nervously.

"Liya and I are sorry for bringing you both here under false pretences. We, and several others, thought it best that you see each other again."

With that, the two Twi'leks exited the room, leaving Malavai alone with the woman he'd missed painfully since he'd lost her nearly a decade ago. Still, he could find no words.

"You're not well." Tali spoke after a few awkward minutes. Once again, Malavai found that speech evaded him. This was not how he'd pictured their reunion. When he had first lost her, fantasising about the moment he would find her again had got him through some of the dreadful hours. When she realised he wasn't going to reply, Tali walked over to her husband and rested one hand on his shoulder. He flinched as if he'd been burnt, her touch sparking a reaction. He stood up quickly, and pulled her into a hug, burying his face in her shoulder as he burst into tears. Tali reached up, running her fingers through his greying hair. "Don't cry." She whispered, "Malavai, my love, don't cry."

"Losing you almost killed me." He told her finally, when he managed to stop crying. She still loved him, he thought to himself, a feeling of warmth flooding into his heart. "I've missed you Tali Jaia Quinn, I've missed you so much."

"The children..." She started, "How are they?"

"They're wonderful." He smiled, "They kept me alive when nothing else did. My mother is looking after them now. I don't know if the boys remember much about you... I know Ashri doesn't." He bit his lip, seeing the flicker of pain in Tali's eyes, "The boys look so much like you, particularly Kerren."

Tali smiled, "Lyr always had your hair." She ruffled her husband's hair as she spoke, "I said then he'd be a heartbreaker some day."

"I don't know what you mean." Malavai replied quietly, "Lyr is far more confident than Kerren. Kerren's always reading something, Lyr's always charging about." He smiled as he talked about their sons, "What with one thing and another, neither the Jedi nor the Sith tried to take Lyr to train him. I thought you wanted that honour. He defends Kerren and Ashri when other kids think they can pick on them."

Tali bristled with rage, "Some scum think they bully my kids, do they?" She hissed, "I'll have to see about that."

"Tali..." Malavai started to say, nerves showing in his face, "Why didn't you contact us? I thought..." He couldn't finish his sentence, and pulled his eyes away from hers, staring at her shoulder.

She reached out, stroking his cheek, watching him close his eyes, "You thought what, Malavai?" She asked, her voice soft.

"I thought you didn't love me." He admitted, "I thought you didn't care."

"Don't you ever say that again." She hissed, the fierceness in her voice taking Malavai by surprise, "I never stopped caring about you or the kids. You were all I thought about, for every damn second. When Arcann stabbed me, the thought of you, of our family, kept me fighting." She paused to take a deep breath, "I didn't contact you because I didn't want to get you mixed up in the war and put the children at risk."

He ached with overwhelming emotion for the Sith in his arms then. She still cared. She'd wanted to protect him. "I've missed you." He whispered, "Eight years without you..."

Tali raised a finger to his lips, silencing him, "Don't talk." She whispered, then she kissed his mouth softly. Malavai melted into the kiss, losing himself in the woman he loved. He would have willingly stayed there forever, but eventually Tali pulled back, breathless and smiling. He kissed her again, this time less gently, one hand sliding naturally from her waist further up her back until he could feel her bra strap through her robes. She let out a small gasp against his mouth, causing Malavai to press himself closer to her. Her hands flew to his shoulders, gripping hold of him tightly, rubbing his taught muscles slightly. As her left hand brushed against his neck, Malavai felt the cold metal of her rings touch his skin and barely stopped himself from gasping. He broke off the kiss and pulled back slightly, eyes widening in surprise. Tali whined, pouting slightly. "You're wearing our wedding and engagement rings." He murmured, taking hold of her left hand, stroking her soft skin lightly as he raised her hand to his lips, planting a kiss onto each ring, before trailing kisses across her hand, to her wrist.

Tali looked at her husband as if he was insane, "Of course I am, my love. You're my husband. I never took them off." He was about to speak again, but Tali cut him off by shooting him a loving look as she spoke again, "You mean everything to me. The rings you gave me and the memories I had made me feel like I had a connection to you... gave me hope that I could see you again."

Malavai felt love tug painfully at his heart - Tali was so special, sweet and loving - she still cared about him. "I've missed you, Empress." He whispered, lips brushing against her ear.

She made a soft, contented sound that made him smile at its familiarity, "Shall we take this somewhere private, handsome?"

"The ship?" He suggested, "I kept your ship." He added, somewhat needlessly. Tali nodded, smiling widely.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A few hours later, Tali snuggled closer to Malavai, admiring her husband's body as he reached for her, pulling her off-balance slightly so that she fell onto his chest, letting out a small squeal. He kissed her lips briefly once again, "I love you, Tali Quinn." He whispered as they broke apart "I've never stopped loving you, throughout all of the eight years."

"I love you too." She replied, resting her head on his bare chest, "When I was told I'd been gone five damn years, all I could do was wonder where you were... if you were coping. Then I found Vette and she told me that you'd had a break down trying to find me. I hated myself for losing the battle on Marr's flagship then."

"I hated myself for not being by your side." He admitted quietly, sliding one arm around her waist, stroking her waist gently.

Tali bit her lip, a flash of pain hitting her full in the chest, "Before I went onto that ship... there was something I'd discovered, something I was waiting until the mission was over to before I told you..." She took a deep breath, steeling herself to continue and to continue looking at her husband as she spoke, "I was pregnant." She told him finally, "But being frozen in carbonite for five years changed that."

Malavai gasped, eyes widening in shock as he struggled to take in what his beautiful wife was telling him. He was shaken from his stunned state when he realised that Tali was crying softly. He pulled her body closer to his again, stroking her back soothingly. "Tali, my Tali, its alright now. I'm here, I've got you and I'm not going to let you go again."

"Its not alright!" She whimpered, her voice an expression of combined anger and pain, "I should have told you! I should have reacted quicker, I should've been stronger!"

Suddenly, Malavai was angry. Not with Tali exactly, but with her attitude. This wasn't her as he knew her, the Tali he knew never doubted herself, her choices or how she had reacted in any situation. He tried to push away the fear that was crowding in on his mind - the fear that she had changed more than he would ever be able to understand - and spoke to her firmly. "You already told me you were going to tell me. If anything, you spared me even more pain by not telling me. My love, if you weren't quick enough or strong enough then no one could be. You were then and are now the most incredible warrior in the galaxy and I have not spent eight damn years falling apart just to discover that you've become someone I don't recognise."

Tali let out a pained yelping sound, eyes flashing with firey anger, "You don't recognise me anymore? Well the man I loved eight years ago would sooner do his duty to the Imperial Army before he fell apart over the disappearance of his wife!" She sat up, shaking herself free of his arms and moving away from him until she reached the edge of the bed, whereupon she stood up, "I'm not the only one who has changed in the last few years, Malavai Quinn."

Her words cut him deeply, the wounds they caused biting through his anger. She was right, he realised, he had changed too. "Tali..." He trailed off, unsure of what he should say, reaching out towards her with one hand, "I'm sorry. We've both changed. Its something we're both going to have to accept and learn to understand... if you still want to be my wife. I don't want to lose you, but if its best for you that we never see each other again..." He stumbled over his words, biting his tongue by accident as he almost choked on what he was attempting to say, "Then I'll accept that if I must."

Tali stopped in the doorway, turning to look at her husband. Her heart almost broke at the sight of him, stripped to the waist and semi covered by the obviously slept-on sheets of their bed, his hair sticking up at all angles and his face telling her that he still desperately loved and needed her as he threw her his heart to use target practice. It would be so easy for her to leave now, after the fight they had just had. She could leave and never look back, move forward with her life, fine someone else... no. She couldn't do that. She walked slowly back towards the bed, her eyes fixed on his as he watched her. She could sense his fear and hope competing for dominance. She stopped walking as she reached the edge of the bed, reached out and touched his still outstretched hand, aware that a smirk played across her features as he took hold of her hand. In his eyes, she finally saw the trust that had been missing since she'd seen him in the cantina earlier that day.

"I'm not going anywhere, my saviour." She whispered.

Malavai smiled, then pulled Tali by their linked hands down, onto the bed by his side. Their mouths met, but this was no gentle kiss; it was entirely the fire and passion they had both missed in their years apart. When they finally pulled back from the kiss, she was pinned beneath his body, their limbs entwined so that it was difficult to fathom out how they would ever untangle themselves.

"Then I guess its up to me to make sure there's no reason for you to leave again, my angel." He told her, breathless.

"Just stop talking and kiss me." Tali demanded impatiently.

"Is that an order, my lady?" He asked, smiling.

"It is now." Tali responded, and like any good Officer, Malavai did exactly as she ordered him.


	5. femSmugglerxTheron - Empress of Zakuul

**Warning: Almost smut, a drunk Lana, considerable angst and fluff.**

Liya Talon leant on the railings, looking out over the peaceful sunset on Odessen. She could hear the party within the base, the music and laughter spilling out, and knew she ought to get back there before she was missed by anyone. She sighed, unwilling to move even as the air turned cooler and a breeze picked up, making her shiver slightly as it brushed welcomely against her warm skin. They had won. The Alliance had won. But still, the Republic and the Sith were preparing for war. _I don't want to deal with all of this,_ she thought tiredly, _why did Lana have to rescue me from the carbonite?_ Every battle she had gone into - against Arcann, Vaylin, Valkorion, even to claim the throne of Zakuul, Liya had treated as if it was her final mission. As if she were sentencing herself to death. Hell, she'd been relieved when Arcann had stabbed her. _I thought I'd be able to live again after Valkorion was defeated, but I was forced to take the throne - exactly what I didn't want to do_. She shook her head, trying to shake her dark mood away, realising only then that there were tears on her face. She sighed again, wondering when she'd cried and for how long, which led her to question how long she had been standing there for.

"Liya?" A voice broke through her thoughts. She glanced towards the speaker even though she already knew who it was, "Liya, what's wrong?"

"I'm alright." She responded, turning away again, realising that he had seen that she'd been crying.

"You're clearly not." Theron replied, walking quickly to her side and sliding one arm around her waist comfortably.

Liya regarded her partner silently. He had kept her going, kept her believing she could lead the Alliance to victory when nothing or no one else had. She'd told him about her past and he had listened to her. He had met her family and not judged their dysfunctionality - _he hardly could_ , she thought with a small smile.

"Liya, sweetheart, talk to me, please." Theron murmured quietly. Liya bit her lip, realising that he seemed slightly distressed and that that was likely her fault for the way she was acting towards him now. She rested her head on his chest, a small smile tugging at her lips as he gently adjusted his hold on her to avoid squashing her lekku.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly, "I shouldn't get this emotional, much less burden you with it all." She gave a small involuntary tremble as Theron pressed a gentle kiss to the side of her head. "I wanted none of this." She admitted quietly, "I just want my life back. I wish I was out there now - flying crazy missions for some crime lord wanting to be distanced from the whole thing for a huge sum of credits. I miss the freedom. But apparantly only I can rule Zakuul, so now I'm forced to live out the rest of my life doing what I want the least: ruling a planet." She gave a harsh laugh, "I wish Lana had left me frozen in carbonite."

Theron tightened his hold on her waist, wanting to reassure her that he was there, "I want you to be happy." He said softly, his heart aching painfully with emotion, "But I don't know how to do that. I don't know how to give you what you want, no matter how much I wish I did. I've known for a while you haven't been yourself, but I thought it was just because of Vaylin and Zakuul. I didn't realise, I'm sorry my love."

Liya pressed herself closer to Theron, enjoying the comforting warmth of his body against hers, "You have been good to me. The high point of all of this has been being with you, with someone who understands me. Someone who cares." She bit her lip again - a nervous habit she had developed in recent weeks - as she gently slipped her arms around him, "I love you Theron Shan, but I can never be who you need me to be."

He frowned at her, the look on his as if she'd just punched him. Liya kept her face neutral, refusing to show how much she was hurting now. "What do you mean?" He asked, fear of the possibilities creeping into his voice, "Are you breaking up with me?"

She met his gaze, struck by the pain in his expression - pain she had caused, "You can lead a better life without me." She said, her tone serious, "You won't be happy with me." She lifted one hand, stroking his face softly.

"Why?" He asked, his voice wracked with pain, blinking back tears as he watched her, "Why won't I be happy with you?"

Liya broke his stare, staring at the floor. It was breaking her heart doing this to Theron - he had listened to her, helped her, cared about her, loved her... now he was the only reason she was holding on to her life. Throughout all of her missions with the Alliance, the thought of seeing him again had been the only thing that pulled her through. When Arcann had stabbed her in their battle on Asylum, she could have easily closed her eyes and let the darkness take over her, but her mind had been flung to something Lana had told her a few days previously about Theron, _"I thought he was going to lose his mind when I told him you had died, which was what everyone assumed at first. When I discovered you were alive, all he could do was work on a plan to rescue you. A plan we enacted. Losing you nearly broke him."_ and she had fought through the darkness just to make him smile again. He was the only good thing left in her life, and deep down, she knew that he was her one true love, but she was also painfully aware of the fact that she wasn't the woman he needed. That she wasn't good enough for him and never would be.

"Remember that conversation we had? About starting a family when all of this craziness is over?" She asked him, her voice sounding weak and shaky in the silence.

"I remember." He replied, his voice equally quiet, as he tightened his grip on Liya, wanting to somehow show her that whatever her problem was, he would support her and look after her.

"I didn't tell you at the time because I thought I would die before now." She took a deep breath, "I can't have children. Years of abuse ruined any chance of that and the carbonite poisoning made it more certain."

Theron started to run his fingers over her face, unable to stop himself from marvelling at her delicate bone structure and jaw dropping beauty. Every source he'd found before he and Liya had met had warned him that she was the most incredibly beautiful woman in the galaxy, and at that moment, he was aware of just how right they were. He slid his hand underneath her chin, lifting it so that he could look the woman he loved in the eyes once more. He had never seen her look as lost, frightened and heartbroken as she did at that moment, with tears running down her face, collecting on the jagged scarring and streaking her face with her eye make-up. Her lower lip looked slightly bruised and had a small drop of blood on it, presumably from her biting her it in her attempt not to cry. When he looked into her eyes, he finally saw her fear of telling him the truth, and that she was afraid of losing him, inspite of what she was saying.

"Liya..." He whispered, pulling her closer, "Liya Talon, I love you more than anything else in the galaxy. You mean everything to me. I've given up a lot of things to keep you in my life, I'm not going to lose you now."

She buried her face in his chest, and Theron rested his head on hers as he rubbed her back gently, trying to soothe her. After a few minutes, the quiet whimpering sounds Liya had been making subsided too, and she pulled back slightly, just far enough for him to see that she was smiling slightly. "Every day since we started this relationship, I've been expecting you to leave, no matter how much you've told me you care." She told him, her voice wobbling a little, "Its what I've always been used to. Its nice to be proved wrong for once, my love."

"I'll keep proving you wrong about that, for as long as I can." He murmured a promise to her, aware of but ignoring the damp, make-up stained patch of his shirt where her tears had fallen. Liya did not verbally respond, but simply kissed Theron's mouth softly. He allowed himself to become lost in the kiss, overjoyed that she was still there, still with him. He could taste the dried blood on her lip, and the salty taste of her tears, smell that familiar 'Liya' scent of ship engine oil and Tythonian wildflower perfume - the scent that showed the intriguing mix of factors that she was. As they finally pulled apart from their kiss, Theron spoke again, from somewhere finding the strength to ask her something he had wanted to ask for the better part of the last month, "Liya Talon, you've changed my life for the better every day since I've known you. I love you and can't live without you. Will you marry me, my darling?"

Liya stared at him, her heart racing, thoughts stumbling over each other in a confused tangle of: _he loves me... he wants me - no, he's just trying to convince me not to leave - you know that's wrong! Do I want to marry him? Of course I do! No question. Right. So TELL him that, you fool. You're standing here like a swamp beast frozen in carbonite - and that's not a thought to express out loud - with your mouth hanging open. Talk woman!_ Yet no words found their way out of her mouth, which snapped shut in shock, for, as she'd thought, her mouth had dropped open. Finally, Liya made a small squeaking sound, before bursting into tears once again as she nodded her head vigourously, her face breaking into an ever widening smile. Theron gave a relieved-sounding laugh, wrapping his arms around Liya's waist again, lifting her up and spinning her around. She squealed in surprise then started to laugh, resting one arm across his shoulders and running her other hand through his hair. They kissed again, tenderly at first, until Liya decided to refuse to allow him to dominate her, and started to kiss him with increasing ferociousity. Theron responded by pinning her against the railings overlooking the Alliance landing pads, so that she could feel the cold metal of the rails digging into her back as his body held her in place there. His hands started to wander from her waist, tracing along the sides of her body as they continued to make out. Within minutes, he had found a gap between the waistband of her trousers and the slightly frayed hem of her shirt, which he used to slip his hand underneath her shirt, his fingers brushing gently across her warm, soft skin. She broke away from the kiss, gasping at his touch as her body trembled slightly. Theron's other had slid to her backside as their mouths reconnected, this time with a fierce, passionate hunger for each other. It was as he felt her fingers clawing at his shirt, starting to undo the buttons, that he remembered where they were. Theron pulled back from the kiss, taking a small but significant step away from his lover, his heart racing, "Not here." He told her, breathlessly as he watched the rapid rise and fall of her chest as she tried to even out her breathing.

"Of course." She agreed, smiling at him as their eyes met, "We should get back to the party before we're missed."

Theron was about to agree with Liya when the sound of someone approaching caught his attention. He turned to see Lana walking out from the doors of the Alliance base, head rotating from left to right as if searching for someone.

"There you are!" She called out when she spotted them. She hurried over, not seeming to notice their dishevelled appearances. "Why are you standing around out here when there's a party going on inside?" Her voice sounded slightly slurred and Theron had to bite the inside of his cheek to restrain a snigger - when Lana was drunk, she was usually entirely oblivious to anything.

"Lana!" Another voice called out as Koth appeared, jogging out of the base looking relatively sober in comparison to Lana.

"Its alright, she's over here." Liya yelled to her friend. She caught Theron's eye and they shared a silent acknowledgement of the situation - _just another normal day on Odessen_ , Liya couldn't help thinking.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Three days later, Liya was talking to Lana, Vette and Senya about plans for the coronation that Lana and Senya had insisted on. Or she was trying to discuss ideas with them but the amount of interuptions were making it difficult.

"What were we talking about before that?" Vette questioned the rest of the group, frowning at Koth's retreating back.

"Erm... not sure." Liya shrugged, smirking widely at Lana's discomfort over the way Vette had joked about whatever was clearly going on between Lana and Koth.

"It was about the HoloNet." Lana stated, teeth gritted, face still slightly red. Liya almost congratulated Vette for the level of embarrassment she had caused, but decided that now was not the appropriate moment. She could stir up that trouble later on.

"Yes." Liya agreed, remembering as Lana spoke, "Senya, did I hear you say that you knew someone who could help with that?" She waved her left hand in the air as she spoke, feeling as though the guesture made her appear more like some kind of business woman negotiating a deal. Not that she wanted to appear that way, it just gave her a feeling of being powerful. When Senya didn't immediately reply, Liya turned to look at her friend, who had narrowed her eyes and was staring at Liya's hand as it travelled through the air. Liya froze, suddenly feeling uncomfortable herself. "What?" She asked her friend.

Senya reached forward slowly, turning Liya's hand over slowly so that the ring she was wearing caught the light - and everyone's attention. A rush of realisation hit Liya in the stomach as Senya grinned.

"Liya Talon..." She began slowly, "Is that an engagement ring?"

Liya tried not to giggle as she took in the expectant stares on her friends faces as she tried to keep her own expression neutral. Then, slowly, she nodded.

Vette squealed, jumping to lean across the table and hug the taller blue-skinned Twi'lek woman.

"Congratulations." Senya smiled, patting Liya's arm, with the air of someone who was going to enjoy telling everyone else the news.

Lana, meanwhile, leant across the table, "Did this happen at the party the other night?" Liya nodded, about to ask about what the relevance of the timing of Theron's proposal had to do with anything, when Lana spoke again, sounding decidely smug, "Ha! Tora owes me fifty credits! She had her money on the proposal happening at the coronation."

Liya shook her head, amused, "You guys have been placing bets on when Theron and I would get engaged? Seriously?"

"I don't suppose you'd believe me if I said no, would you?" Lana questioned, grinning.

"No, I wouldn't." Liya chuckled, "You're all crazy, but you're the best. Now let's get back to this planning and hope that there are no more distractions."


	6. femSmugglerxTheron - Realising he cared

**Warning: Not much to warn about here. Just Liya's existence, I guess :)**

 **Follows (ish) a couple of cutscenes... with some extra bits added in by yours truly :)**

"I just think it might put everyone at ease if you ditched the lightsaber." Theron tried to reason with his new ally. The last thing he wanted right now was Lana scaring everyone by making them worry that she may turn around and kill them.

"Is that really necessary?" She responded, somewhat calmly, "Surely I'm not as intimidating as you imply?"

 _Not to me,_ Theron thought, tired of having this argument by now, _but I doubt the staff here will be in agreement with me._

A third voice waded into the debate: a slow drawl that was more than welcome to Theron's ears, "You worry too much, Shan." He turned to face the newcomer, a surprising but not entirely unwelcome feeling of happiness twinged warmly in his chest. _Liya made it back alive. Good._ He heard Lana greet the wild-spirited space Captain as he took the opportunity to check her over for obvious wounds, knowing from their previous work together that she wouldn't tell anyone if she was injured, but ignore it. His eyes were immediately drawn to a burnt looking hole close to the hem of her slightly more scruffy than it usually was tight white shirt. He forced himself not to look too closely at her body as he checked her over - before they had met he had been warned that she was stunning, when he'd met her, he'd realised that his sources were indeed correct - and shot her a smile when their eyes finally met.

"This is Lana Beniko: dedicated Imperial citizen and fully-armed Sith Lord." He explained, realising Lana had not mentioned her name. Liya returned his smile, her eyes sparkling still with exhilaration from the mission she had completed. And suddenly, his heart was racing. _Whoa,_ he thought, _her eyes... she's beautiful._

"But you don't need to worry about that." Lana tried to reassure Liya, probably not realising that Liya seemed to fear nothing, least of all Sith Lords.

 _Focus Theron_ , he told himself, _now isn't the time to think about Liya in that way._ "Arkous manipulated her and her people the same as Darok did to us. She's already shared a lot of good intel." He explained, trying to force his mind to think about the situation they were in, rather than his ally's atributes. "Based on your work in the lab, we know that Arkous and Darok are working together, manipulating both sides for some third party." He tuned out a little as Lana started to explain about the Revanites. _What is happening to me?_ He wondered, recalling the overwhelming worry he'd felt when it had looked like Liya would be crushed to death in the lab, comparing it to the rush he'd felt at seeing her alive and apparantly in one piece here, he was fully aware that his reaction hadn't been that of a concerned ally or even a concerned friend. The way she had smiled at him was still repeating itself through his mind as well, _she has always made it very clear that she'll sleep with anyone who wants her,_ his logical side tried to reason, _she was probably just testing you._

His mind was jolted back to the present as he heard Lana mention his name in connection with a question Liya had raised about Revan: "I'm sure Theron could tell you all about him."

 _Great. She knows about that_ , he thought as Liya's eyes turned expectantly to him. He felt conflicted, wanting to look into her eyes as if things were normal but aware that if he did, he would become distracted by her again. Instead, he let his eyes rest on her lekku, scanning over the familiar pattern on them. _Her skin looks so soft_ , he thought randomly, straight away wondering where that thought had come from as he felt something stronger than the attraction he had felt before punch him in the gut. Before, she had been an ally who just happened to have the body of some kind of goddess, but now it wasn't just her body that attracted him, but her smile, her features, her voice, her sense of humour, her personality. _How did you not notice this crush before?_ He wondered, somewhat annoyed with himself. He realised then that he had to speak before Lana or worse - Liya - realised what was going on.

"He was a Jedi, then a Sith, then a Jedi again, all about three hundred years ago. I'll send you a history file." He rushed through the brief explanation, aware that Lana shot him a curious look, whether that was because she'd sensed how flustered he had become or because he hadn't told Liya the full truth, he didn't know.

"You give me all the best gifts." Liya drawled, resting one hand on her hip casually and shooting Theron a smirk that made him feel slightly dizzy as their eyes met again. He tore his gaze away quickly, suddenly very aware of her flirtatious nature and how badly he wanted to respond to her.

"We know the Revanites have highly-placed moles in both the Republic and the Empire. That means we have no idea who we can really trust." He continued, trying above everything to focus on the mission.

"Then its up to us to stop them." Liya said simply, and Theron found himself nodding, impressed by her committment to the mission. For someone who usually worked for the highest bidder, she seemed incredibly driven in a mission with no high-paying reward. Theron almost jumped in shock as Jakarro barged into the room, loudly accusing them all of being boring. He and Lana shared smirks as Liya informed Ceetwo-Deefour that Jakarro had a short attention span with only the slightest evidence of a grin on her own features, although her eyes shone vibrant purple with amusement.

As soon as Lana, Jakarro and Ceetwo had finished reasoning with each other, discussing travel plans and had left the room, Theron took a step closer to Liya, their eyes meeting again. "You'd better travel seperately." He found himself suggesting as his mind screamed out in protest, "If the Revanites put a tail on us, they won't know which to follow." He could hear his voice reasoning. He saw something flicker in her eyes. _Disappointment?_ He wondered, unsure if he was just seeing what he wanted to see.

"Nice plan." She said after a pause that was slightly too long to be comfortable, her smile back in place.

"I'd better get moving." He admitted reluctantly, "Watch your back out there." As he left the room, Theron fought the urge to look over his shoulder to take one last look at Liya. _That was not professional_ , he thought in annoyance as he hurried to the shuttle.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A few weeks later, Theron walked across the cantina towards where he had already spotted that Liya was standing. She was standing side-on to him and didn't appear to have noticed his presence yet, so he allowed himself time to take in her appearance as he approached. Physical attraction raced through him as he took in the way her usual scruffy outfit clung to her curves while highlighting her phyiscal strength and power. He felt a welcome surge of desire rush through him, setting his blood on fire as his pulse raced. "There you are." He started as naturally as he could on reaching her, "Our first few interviews with Jakarro's 'friends' went well, believe it or not."

Slowly, she turned her head, following his movement as she picked herself up from the structure she was leaning on. He folded his arms across his chest, unsure how to stand, suddenly self-conscious. "We're going to start with some antiques smugglers from the Exchange, see if the Revanites have gone for any more Rakata tech." He continued.

She gave him a slow, sexy smile that made his heart rate speed up again and he knew she was about to say something flirtatious to him. If he was honest, he wasn't sure he could take much more of her teasing. "I'm glad to see you're still in one piece." She was using the voice that had affected him every time she'd used it since they met - low, husky and sexy enough to make him temporarily forget about where he was and wonder what he body was like beneath her clothes, "Its a good look for you."

Theron was glad that the lighting in the cantina was low at that moment, so that she couldn't see him blush. _Definitely not because of how bright her eyes look in this light... stars, she's more beautiful than anyone I've ever met_ , he thought as she looked at him from beneath her dark eyelashes. "And I was starting to think it was Lana you had your eyes on." He responded, as quickly as he could, realising as he spoke that he not only sounded jealous but that he was actually asking her whether or not she had feelings for him. Her saw her eyes widen slightly, but she said nothing. He didn't let her - needing to get his next sentence out before he forgot to say it - again. "'The Order of Revan'. My family has more pull than I thought."

If it was possible, Liya's eyes widened further at his revelation, "You're related to Revan?"

"You never heard that story? Bastila Shan, Revan's great Jedi love? The name made it all the way down to me, even if the Force didn't." He started to explain, realising as he did so that he was far more comfortable flirting with Liya than explaining this to her. Much to his surprise, Liya started to smile, stepping closer to him until the gap between them was smaller than professional distance by a long way. Their eyes caught onto each other's again, and he saw that the look in her eyes was serious - something he'd rarely seen from her before - and intense. His heart was pounding so loudly in his ears that was sure she could hear it as she raised one hand and rested on his chest.

"You never fail to impress me." She murmured sexily, before taking a fistful of his shirt so that he was unable to pull away - not that he wanted to - and kissing his mouth fiercely. Theron recovered almost instantly from his initial shock, returning her kiss hungrily, matching her passion with his own, as he reached out, placing his hands on her waist, pulling her to him. He traced her lower lip with his tongue, desperate for her permission to deepen the kiss, to take this further, but Liya pulled back, fixing him with an amused smile. "You're not getting more than that in public." She told him with a warm smile.

"Right." He nodded, trying to calm himself down, "Right." _Calm down, you've still got mission details to discuss_ , he told himself as she disengaged from his embrace, watching him with amusement, "I won't lie, we're up against some extreme odds with his mission. Are you sure you still want to be dragged into all of this?"

"I'm not going anywhere Theron." She responded, her eyes fixed on his, "You can count on that."

 _Good_ , he thought, pleasure shooting through him, as his heart rate finally returned to normal, _good, because I don't want to be without you._ "Teams aren't usual my style," He started, allowing his gaze to break from her and wander over her body deliberately slowly, hoping he was having a similar affect on her as she was on him, before returning to her delicate face, "But I think I could get used to this one." _Too late for the whole 'getting used to' thing_ , he thought as he spoke, _a lot too late_. "Alright. I'd better get back to Lana and Jakarro before they... do... anything. I'll get in touch as soon as we've got something concrete - stay safe." He knew what he was saying was right - he had to go, and he wasn't using the others as an excuse, not really. He did worry about leaving them, they were forever causing trouble. She nodded slowly, as if understanding his reasons for leaving quickly, shooting him her usual smirk before he turned away.

As he walked away, Theron knew that he shouldn't be engaging in whatever form of relationship he and Liya were in - it could compromise the mission very easily - but he couldn't help it and didn't want to change it.


End file.
